Nutrition for Athletes by Sansum Clinic of Santa Barbara

Proper nutrition is extremely important for any athlete. Maintaining energy, endurance and muscle performance can depend on your diet.

Presidio Sports and Sansum Clinic of Santa Barbara have partnered to provide professional advice on quality nutritional habits for athletes at any level.

Each month, a registered dietitian or nutritionist from Sansum Clinic will contribute tips for using proper nutrition to enhance athletic performance and maintain a healthy diet.

NUTRITION ARTICLES

POMEGRANATES: THE FRUIT WITH A CROWN
Pomegranate season has started and will continue until late January or February on the West Coast. The red colored fruit with a crown is not only beautiful but it is delicious and nutritious for everyone, including athletes. The unique flavor of the pomegranate seeds is sweet and tart at the same time. The seeds are fun to eat although they can be messy; it is best to slice the top off and expose the seeds which are arranged in segments. Use a knife to score the skin in quarters which will make the seeds pop out easier. [READ MORE]

THERE’S MORE TO PUMPKIN BEYOND PIE
Although closely associated with Halloween and Thanksgiving, this fruit is very versatile and can be enjoyed in many ways beyond traditional pumpkin pie. It can be used in salads, soups, sauces, breads, cookies, and made into preserves. The seeds can be roasted, salted or eaten raw for snacks and sprinkled on just about anything. [READ MORE]

EATING HEALTHY THE OLD FASHIONED WAY
In past generations, pickling vegetables was as common as frying foods. Mubby, my southern grandmother, preserved okra, corn, watermelon, beets, cucumbers, cranberries, apricots and green beans. All fruits and vegetables produced at the family farm were subject to her pickling prowess. Homemade “pickling” that included a culture, salt and water produced a product that was pickled but also fermented. [READ MORE]

BASICS ABOUT AVOCADOS
Did you know that Avocados are actually fruits? There are mainly seven commercial varieties of avocados produced in California, but the Hass variety accounts for about 95% of all California production. Follow the link to learn more interesting facts about this nutritious food. [READ MORE]

POWER UP WITH PROTEIN
New research summarized in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition backs up the idea that protein is key for shedding unwanted pounds, improving your health, and performing your best.Protein is also an essential factor in exercise recovery.
It provides the amino acids you need to help build muscle. Plus, almost every athlete is familiar with that intense hunger that comes after your daily workout. That hunger can often lead you to overeat and undo all your hard work. This scenario can be prevented with the help of a single nutrient: protein. [READ MORE]

MEETING ANTI-OXIDANT REQUIREMENTS
My active career was once focused on spending time in the gym lifting weights with my friends who were professional weight lifters and bodybuilders. These days I’m more active outside hiking, running, swimming or paddling in an outrigger canoe. In the 1980s at the Santa Barbara Fitness Center the topic of conversation often was about food: what to eat, what not to eat. Those wanting more muscle ate more protein which seemed logical; the egg was king. Bodybuilders ate the egg white to save calories while power lifters enjoyed the raw whole egg in their protein drinks never concerned about salmonella. [READ MORE]

THE INCREDIBLE EGG
My active career was once focused on spending time in the gym lifting weights with my friends who were professional weight lifters and bodybuilders. These days I’m more active outside hiking, running, swimming or paddling in an outrigger canoe. In the 1980s at the Santa Barbara Fitness Center the topic of conversation often was about food: what to eat, what not to eat. Those wanting more muscle ate more protein which seemed logical; the egg was king. Bodybuilders ate the egg white to save calories while power lifters enjoyed the raw whole egg in their protein drinks never concerned about salmonella. [READ MORE]

ALTERNATIVE NATURAL SWEETENERS
The average American consumes more than 22 teaspoons of added sugars per day. Over consumption of sweets is linked to weight gain, the development of insulin resistance, fatty liver, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Scientists have developed non-caloric artificial sweeteners but the safety and impact of these chemicals is not clear. Natural alternatives to the refined white granules we typically think of as sugar are available, but natural doesn’t always necessarily mean healthful. [READ MORE]

DEACTIVATING FREE RADICALS
The world of greens has long been overshadowed by spinach and kale. It’s time to expose another green that gives spinach and kale a run for their money! This green is not novel; it has been used to fuel the body since ancient times. Due to its nutrient profile, it has historically been used to alleviate depression, gastrointestinal distress, respiratory issues, urinary tract infections and acne… [READ MORE]

SOUPS ON
There is nothing like a hot bowl of soup this time of year, whether for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Soups can be packed full of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients if your recipe includes a variety of plant foods. Here are some facts about soups: 1. Evidence of the existence of soup can be found as far back as about 20,000 BC (Wikipedia.com). [READ MORE]

SWEETS AND THE HOLIDAYS
When discussing diet with friends, one may admit to experiencing sensations of feeling shaky between meals because of irregular eating habits. Other symptoms may include sweating, feeling anxious, slight nausea, mood swings or feeling tired after eating. Sound familiar? If this is happening to you or anyone you know, a diet evaluation is recommended to prevent diabetes in the future. What might be happening is the pancreas, the organ responsible for insulin production, could be overreacting and releasing too much insulin producing symptoms of low blood sugar or reactive hypoglycemia. [READ MORE]

FLUIDS: THE FORGOTTEN FUEL
Nutrition plays a significant role in athletic prowess.
More often than not, protein and carbohydrates are center stage. However, there is one nutrient that has greater value than protein and carbohydrates combined. And, that is water. Did you know that the adult body is made up of 50-65% water? Water serves as a carrier, shock absorber, coolant, catalyst, messenger, lubricant and reactant. For the athlete, fluids help delay fatigue and improve recovery after exercise. It also helps maintain body temperature. Consuming appropriate amounts of fluid prevents thirst and weight loss from sweating. [READ MORE]

DIET DETOX: DO OR DON’T?
Most people go on a fast when they want to “detox”. Then after a few days or a week, they go back to eating the same foods. Doesn’t it make more sense to consistently avoid toxins so that you don’t develop an excess burden that you feel you have to somehow undo? It would be nice to eliminate all toxins from your diet, but it would also be impossible. The best we can do, and the most we can expect of ourselves, is to reduce our toxic load by minimizing exposure to as many chemicals as possible.[READ MORE]

BEANS – NUISANCE OR AID TO ATHLETES?: Mention eating beans to many Americans and they might recall a phrase such as: “beans are the miracle fruit, the more you eat, the more you toot”, meaning that beans can produce gas and bloating. For the athlete, this might be an annoyance they don’t want to deal with especially during training or competition. However my colleague and sports nutritionist, Ellen Coleman, RD refers to beans in her presentations as an “ergogenic aide” for triathletes; they keep you buoyant in the water, gas propelled on the bike and blow everyone away on the run. [READ MORE]

BENEFITS OF BEETS: Are you looking to increase your endurance or improve your overall performance; maybe run or ride faster? Consider adding beets or beet juice to your routine. Beets and beet juice are naturally high in nitrate and may be the answer to enhanced performance. Research published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has shown that eating cooked beets can acutely improve running performance. After eating 200 grams (7 ounces) of cooked beets, runners ran an average of 3 percent faster. [READ MORE]

RED, WHITE, & BLUEBERRY: Summer is upon us and it’s already July, time for fireworks, picnics and pies. It also happens to be National Blueberry Month. The tangy, sweet berries are packed with vitamins A, C, E and K. They also contain fiber, manganese, iron and antioxidants. Mainstream research regarding blueberries has focused primarily on their antioxidant activity, potential cancer prevention properties, protective effects against dementia-related diseases, and link to urinary tract, heart and vision health. [READ MORE]

TO BE OR NOT TO BE – Gluten-Free: Gluten-free – two little words have taken the athletic world by storm. Is this diet as effective as it seems? Most people know the most common sources of gluten, but few know what it is and how it impacts their day-to-day health or athletic prowess. In order to evaluate this fad diet, one must answer the five W’s: who, what, where, when and why. [READ MORE]

EATING FOR RECOVERY AND PERFORMANCE: One of the best times to eat for your continuing sports performance is after you train or participate in an event. Nutrition after performance is also called recovery nutrition. The focus of recovery nutrition is to rehydrate, replenish muscle fuel and repair damaged muscle tissue. Restoring fluids is extremely important and is individualized based on each person’s loss of fluids. The focus of this article will be on replacing fuel utilized while performing and healing which ultimately may give you a competitive edge. [READ MORE]

CARB LOADING – How to Correctly Harness Your Energy: Sansum Clinic Registered Dietitian, Emily Luxford, breaks down carb loading for athletes. Almost as soon as we are taught to ride bikes, run the mile or compete in athletic events, we are encouraged by our athletic mentors to “carb load.” What does this mean? Luxford breaks it down [READ MORE]

DON’T GO TOO NUTS – March is National Nutrition Month at Sansum Clinic. The Cancer Center of Santa Barbara with Sansum Clinic’s Registered Dietitian, Sarah Washburn, shares with us the important role nuts play in an athlete’s diet. [READ MORE]